This week the world is intently watching developments in Syria
hoping and praying for a peaceful solution. As the
United Nations convenes its 68th general assembly there
is a strong push for peace and hope that the UN can realize one of
its most important missions, the prevention of war. All nations and
particular those of the Security Council have an opportunity and
obligation to promote this process. Ultimately the outcome of this
crisis affects the fate of the planet. In adherence to
international law with the ban on the use of chemical weapons and
holding accountable those who use them we see parallels when it
comes to the greatest existential threat we face, the use of
nuclear weapons. This is a time for leadership by
example.

This week provides the world two important opportunities to
demonstrate this leadership.

September 21 is the International Day of Peace observed around
the world each year. It was established in 1981 by the United
Nations General Assembly to coincide with its opening session as a
day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and
among all nations and peoples.

In 2001, the General Assembly by unanimous vote established
September 21 as the official annual day of non-violence and
cease-fire.

The United Nations invites all nations and people to honor a
cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise
commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on
issues related to peace.

Each year, the day has a theme and this year it is "Education
for Peace". UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared, "On
this International Day of Peace, let us pledge to teach our
children the value of tolerance and mutual respect. Let us invest
in the schools and teachers that will build a fair and inclusive
world that embraces diversity. Let us fight for peace and defend it
with all our might."

Thursday, September 26th the UN will host the first
ever High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament .

Every nation in the world has been invited to participate at the
highest political level. We have never been at such a moment of
crisis and opportunity. Crisis because the two states with over 95%
of the worlds nuclear arsenals, the U.S. and Russia have decided to
boycott the meeting and opportunity because the vast majority of
the world's countries support the advancement of a convention
banning nuclear weapons similar to the chemical weapons convention.
These countries representing a majority of people on the planet are
held hostage to the cold war policies of the nuclear dinosaurs.

Ultimately actions speak louder than words.

Instead of honoring the significance of these dates and working in
good faith to achieve nuclear disarmament, the United States has
chosen to schedule two tests of its Minuteman III Intercontinental
Ballistic Missile on September 22 and September 26 .

Just hours after the International Day of Peace ends, the U.S.
plans to launch a Minuteman III -- the missile that delivers U.S.
land-based nuclear weapons -- from Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands
.

Then, on the same day that most countries will send their
head of state or foreign minister to New York for the UN's
first-ever High-Level Meeting on nuclear disarmament, the
U.S. plans to send another Minuteman III missile from California to
the Marshall Islands.

These missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads capable of
killing thousands of times more people than the chemical weapons
used in Syria .

The insensitive timing, let alone the provocation of these tests
is remarkable. Where is our credibility? Imagine if North Korea ,
Iran , Pakistan or China were carrying out these same tests at this
time. What would our response be? The unexamined assumption that we
can continue these tests and behaviors while demanding the opposite
of others begs explanation and defies reason. As Ghandi is so often
quoted, "We must be the change we want to see in the world."

We can and must demand better of President Obama and our elected
officials. Change must begin at home. Let our collective
voices be heard loud and clear. For ultimately the actions we take
today define the world we hand to our children. The choice is
ours.

Robert Dodge, M.D. is a family physican practicing in Ventura, California. He is a board member of Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles (www.psrla.org) where he is a Peace and Security Ambassador. He sits on the board of the Nuclear Age (more...)